After many years of drinking coffee (incl. espresso), I had my taste buds blown by a straight espresso that was rich, thick, sweet, no hint of bitterness or sourness -- just amazing.Now, this was from a trained barista with all the right gear, and I'm probably not going to be able to do this at home, but that's my target.(BTW -- this post will end up asking for recommendations re espresso makers, but first a little more context).I've used stovetops (incl. the Atomic), but they don't come close.I've been using the Presso, which produces a surprisingly good espresso, and I like its simplicity. (I really don't want to believe that you need printed circuits to make a good cup of espresso.) But I don't think it passes my "good enough" test.I don't use milk, so features like double boilers, heat exchangers, steaming, are irrelevant to me.What I want is a machine good enough to allow me a close approach to my ideal shot (and by "good enough" I mean that when my attempts fail, I cannot blame that failure on the machine).I'm aware of the Pavoni and other lever machines. They would seem the ideal solution except for their starting price of near $1,000.So, I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions: single shot, no steam, lo-tech, not too much money, great espresso?Thanks for your help.

Have you seriously considered lever machines? Especially on the secondary market.? La Peppina or Cremina come to mind. I can vouch for the Cremina. It is very low tech and produces excellent shots. I've seen plenty of Pavoni's on ebay and Cragislist for well under $1K and Cremina's from time to time as well.

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